IMPORTANT DATES!
PRINCIPALS’ REPORT
Exciting discussions around our first STEM festival and a new format of dance concert are well underway. I’ll keep you posted through the newsletter about these upcoming term 2 and term 3 events. In the meantime, we have many sporting activities galore at the moment and our bands are taking shape and excited by the competitions and concerts that are scattered throughout the year.
Annual General Meeting
Don’t forget that on March the 30th at 6:30pm we will be holding our Annual General Meeting. This meeting is held every year and is an open meeting for our community. During this meeting we present our Annual Report to the School Community. The 2022 report is presented at that time and will then be uploaded to our Website so that our entire community can access it.
Junior School Council and Environmental Leaders
We welcome our 202 Student Representative Council (SRC).
Congratulations and gratitude are sent to the following students.
Thanks are also extended to those who put their hand up to be Environment Leaders.
Congratulations to the following students.
It has been wonderful to see how many students take such an active interest in our school and the community we live in.
Sleep Health for Students
While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.
Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.
Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:
- – low mood and irritability during social interactions
- – reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed
- – falling asleep during the day
- – difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up
- – changes to communicating or interacting at home.
You can help your child to improve their sleep by:
- – establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine
- – supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed
- – encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep
- – encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.
If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or wakening unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor.
For more information on sleep health, you can refer to: · Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff, from the Sleep Health Foundation · Why sleep is so important, from the Kids Helpline’s · Sleep explained, from the Better Health Channel.
Take care,
Kirrily Lamers
Principal
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Empathy & Kindness
This next presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Empathy and Kindness.
Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do. We practice this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.
Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating brussel sprouts)!
Research shows that practicing empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.
View Part 3 of the series here:
Part 3 – Empathy: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/
Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:
Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
Make a plan for who you are going to give an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
Follow up with each other in a few days time, to ask how it went!
Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.
Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Rosanna Golf Links Primary School is excited to be participating. We are currently generating student usernames and passwords for the challenge. Your teachers will be sending this home very soon. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:
- access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
- a modern user-friendly interface
- rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
- the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 8 September 2023.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge
TEACHING & LEARNING
Let's Breed Bookworms at RGLPS!
All students, teachers and families are now well into the swing of the school year, so I thought it was a good time to remind everyone about the long-term benefits of daily reading. The table below shows the cumulative impact of ongoing reading practice by comparing a regular reader with an irregular reader:
Consider the significant improvements that Jamie, the regular reader would make in comparison to Tommy, the less consistent reader, over the course of thirteen years of schooling.
You would expect Jamie to have progressed further than Tommy in the following areas:
- – Increased general knowledge and conceptual understanding of the world around us
- – Enhanced comprehension
- – An expanded vocabulary, due to ongoing exposure to new words and concepts in a range of varied contexts
- – Improved spelling due to continual exposure to words and patterns
- – Heightened empathy from understanding different points of view
- – Stronger writing skills (students learn about writing structure and genres from exposure to to quality models of cohesive and creative writing)
- – Greater acceptance of difference, disability, and other cultures
- – Higher levels of creativity and imagination
- – Improved concentration and ability to focus
- – Greater overall wellbeing (neuroscience has shown that reading calms the mind and relaxes the body)
Reading has so many benefits to overall learning and wellbeing. Thank-you for encouraging your child to develop a reading routine at home each day to complement the reading instruction and practice we do daily at school. Be assured that this makes a huge positive impact long term on your child and their learning.
Naplan
Well done to our Year 3 and 5 students who participated in NAPLAN tests this week. The tests ran relatively smoothly, and it was pleasing to see students try their best. Our latest information indicates that results will be available to parents in July.
School Policies
A reminder that RGLPS school policies are published to the community via Compass and the school website. To access policies on Compass, see Community icon -> School Documentation -> School Policies. On the school website, see the Community menu and scroll down the page to access current school policies.
In 2022, the Victorian Government updated the Child Safe Standards. There are now eleven Standards that organisations, such as schools, need to implement.
The revised standards are as follows:
Standard 1 – Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
Standard 2 – Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Standard 5 – Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.
Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child-focused.
Standard 8 – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Standard 9 – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Standard 10 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
Standard 11 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.
In 2022, RGLPS worked hard to update our documentation and processes in preparation for full implementation of the Child Safe Standards from the start of 2023. Updated and ratified Child Safe documents are also available on the school website and on Compass.
I hope everyone has a great week!
Kerron Worsdell
Learning Specialist
NATIONAL RIDE 2SCHOOL DAY
Next Friday is National Ride2School Day ( Friday 24th March)
National Ride2School Day is Australia’s biggest celebration of active travel and is a great way to encourage children to be more active when travelling to school. Being active on the journey to school helps to create healthy habits for our students, and it’s good for the environment too! Riding, walking, scooting or skating to school means there are fewer cars on the road, which results in a reduction in noise pollution, energy use and carbon emissions.
We would like to see as many students as possible take on the challenge to walk, ride, scooter or skate to school next Friday. If you live too far away from school to actively travel the whole way, part way is okay. Stop the car a few blocks before the school and walk, ride, scooter or skate the rest of the way. Every little bit helps you and the environment.
NEW PROCEDURE FOR PREP 2024 ENROLMENTS
Enrolments for Prep 2024 will work differently to previous years. The State Government has introduced a new state-wide enrolment timeline for all government primary schools. Their aim is to make the enrolment process clearer and more equitable for all families.
Here’s how the prep 2024 enrolments will work:
TERM 1
- Schools cannot accept any prep enrolments in term 1, 2023.
- School tours can commence and will continue during term 2.
- In late term 1, a ‘Prep Enrolment Information Pack for Schools for Parents/Carers for the 2024 school year’ will be distributed to all families by early childhood service providers (kindergartens and childcare centres). The pack will also be available from the school if required.
TERM 2
- Monday 24th April 2023: from this date enrolments can be submitted using the ‘Application to Enrol in a Victorian Government School Form’ from the information pack.
- Open days, information sessions and Education Week celebrations will be held.
TERM 3
- Friday 28th July 2023: enrolment applications are due.
- Friday 11th August: families will receive written notification of their enrolment outcome.
- Friday 25th August: due date for families to return their completed ‘School Enrolment Form’ to accept their prep offer. This form will be included with your letter of offer.
TERM 4
- Prep 2024 transition sessions will take place
SPORT NEWS
Division Swimming
On Tuesday the 14th of March, fifteen of our students made their way to Oak Park Aquatic Centre for the Banyule Division Swimming Championships. The bus ride with Banyule Primary Students was fun and it was great to see students from both of our schools sitting with each other and enjoying making some new friends. In the best result our school has had since I began in 2017, 11 of our 15 students came 1st or 2nd and progressed to the Northern Metropolitan Region Final! All of our individual swimmers performed at their personal best and our relay teams nailed the changeovers for a great day out at Oak Park. Thanks to the many parents who also came to support their child and the school, congratulations to everyone!
Touch Rugby Professional Development
A special mention must go out to RGLPS parent Phil Smith who gave up his time to provide a wonderful professional development at RGLPS on Thursday night for all of the PE teachers in Heidelberg District. Phil recently came back from the nationals in Canberra and provided us all with many great games and skill sessions we can provide to our students. Thanks for teaching us about the game you’re so passionate about, I look forward to including it in our curriculum at RGLPS.
Kind Regards,
Darren Peters
PE and Sports Coordinator
FUNDRAISING
SCHOOL PHOTOS
CAMPS EXCURSION and ACTIVITES FUND (CSEF)
Camps Excursion and Activities Fund (CSEF) - (for parents holding a current Health Care Card)
Applications are now open for 2023 CSEF funding. If you received CSEF in 2022, I have submitted an application on your behalf and nothing further is required from you unless there is a prep student to be added. In this case, please contact me on kaylene.ingham@education.vic.gov.au to confirm I have added your student.
CSEF funding is a government initiative to assist families where a parent or carer is the beneficiary of a financially means-tested card (most commonly a Health Care Card, however please contact me if you require the full list of eligible cards). The funding is to be used for camps, excursions and activities. Please advise the office or chose the CSEF option on Compass when you wish to access the funds for any of these purposes. We don’t do this automatically as some parents prefer to pay smaller amounts themselves and use the funding for more expensive activities such as camps. Any unused funds are automatically rolled over to the following year and are transferred to your child’s next school if applicable.
If you are an eligible parent, and have not received CSEF in the past, please call past the office to collect an application form and present your card.
GARDEN NEWS
CANTEEN
Summer Specials (next 2 weeks)
Chicken Sub Roll – chicken tenders served in a long roll with lettuce: $5.00
Extras: Grated cheese: $0.70
Mayo: $0.40
Sweet Chilli Sauce: $0.40
Plant Bases Burger – burger served in a roll with lettuce, tomato and tomato sauce: $7.10
(Burger is Gluten Free) Extra: Pineapple: $0.80
Beetroot: $0.70
Fruit – Grapes $1 per slice
Muffin – Blueberry
We would like to wish all the parents a safe and happy long weekend.
Regards
Margaret
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Disclaimer: Rosanna Golf Links Primary School (RGLPS) does not endorse any product or service advertised in this newsletter. RGLPS takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements or the quality and reliability of products or services offered in the advertisements
